Kampala

The Inspector General of Government (IGG) has asked a director at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Mr Musa Okello, and another official to account for Shs48m of an organisation they head.

The order arises from the IGG investigation into alleged abuse of funds for the National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI), which Mr Okello represents on the NSSF board. Mr Okello is the Secretary General of NUEI. He is jointly asked with Godfrey Siibi, another NUEI official, to account for the money.

The money was raised from the sale of NUEI’s property.

Last year, members of NUEI petitioned the IGG to investigate Mr Okello for alleged abuse of money which the organisation received from sale of its land in Kagugube zone, Wandegeya. The 0.14 acres were sold to Expedito and Candy Mpanga on July 15, 2005 to raise money to buy bigger land elsewhere. NUEI was paid Shs100m. On July 29, 2005, the union’s executive resolved to reinvest part of the money on a fixed deposit account for a renewable three months to earn interest.

Shs37.5m was used to buy another piece of land in Bwebajja, Entebbe Road.

In the investigations report released last month, the IGG states that “all payments made by the union were authorised by the Secretary General, Mr Musa Okello”.

The report indicates that Mr Okello and his colleague, Mr Godfrey Siibi, failed to account for Shs48m. The report shows the two also took Shs5.3m as advances, which they had not paid back by the time of the investigations.

“The Secretary General should provide the Inspectorate of Government with accountability for Shs48,138,100 that was unaccounted for within one month of issue of this report,” says Ms Irene Mulyagonja’s report.

The IGG also ordered all the NUEI officials who took the Shs8m in advances to pay them back to the IGG’s Assets Recovery Account.

However, in his response to the IGG queries, Mr Okello stated that all funds were utilised properly, except for the monies reallocated from the Development Account for union operations which had not yet been refunded.

Mr Okello said some things had not been clearly explained to the IGG and that they were handling the matter as an institution.

“It’s an institutional thing, [the case] and to me, I had nothing to do with the union’s money as an individual,” he says. “The IGG has given me one month to provide an explanation and I’m sure within that span, we shall have provided the necessary proof,” Mr Okello added.